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Arrivederci and Danke!

Now the time has come. My things are packed and the room is tidy. The only thing missing is my last article here to say goodbye. To tell how this experience here was, whether my expectations were fulfilled, what was good or bad.  That is really not so easy. When I think about my first day, the day I arrived, it seems like it was just a month ago. The excitement, all the unknown. How can it already be half a year ago? But then I see the many fully written pages in my travel diary and remember. Six months in Italy, in Jesi. Six months with Caritas. Six months of adventure, boredom, joy and sadness. Six months of growing friendships.  Never in my life have I met so many people in a short time, never in my life have I been so much on my own. In Rivestiamo I was able to be creative, master the hustle and bustle in the kitchen together with wonderful people, drowned in clothes at Magazzino and moved furniture. I walked at sunsets and sunrises and when the sun was at its zenith. I climbed mou
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Recent posts

Paul

When I first met Paul in my first month here in Jesi, all I saw in him was the homeless man. Wrapped in a thick, dirty winter coat against the cold, with a cap on his head, desperately trying to keep his dreadlocks together. Very poor of foot, sleepy eyes, unhealthy complexion. A friendly, open smile on his lips. When I met Paul for the second time, in the middle of my project, I saw the brother who had gone and wanted to return home. At first loud and wildly gesticulating, then suddenly withdrawn and silent. In this video call, they discussed with his younger brother whether Paul could return to his family. Shortly afterwards I met Paul for the third time. This time I recognised the migrant. What an impact two names have when you identify with the religious one but the other is your official, state one. At the embassy in Rome, they tried to apply for a passport for his home country. When I met Paul for the fourth and last time, I saw Paul. Ready to leave, ready to go to his homeland,
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Arrivederci Max!

   Max travelled back to Catalonia on 1.9.23 to start his studies in political science at the University of Barcelona     You were so lucky to get a place at the university of your choice in Barcelona!  But yes... unfortunately this mean ending your ESC project early and having to leave Jesi after two months.   We can only thank you for being available and sharing your ideas about the world. You are now returning  to your beloved Catalonia. The European Solidarity Corps is a window to the world.... for you, for me and for Caritas in Jesi. It gives us insights into cultural, social and political circumstances and allows mutual understanding to grow. Just as we have learned from you, I hope that your experiences here will also help you in your future life. I wish you all the best! Arrivederci 🙌
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Local values and attitudes

Now I have been here for 1 month and 3 weeks, and after this time I would like to talk about the local values and attitudes of Iesi's inhabitants. We can start with the facilities that the society provides for the integration of the newcomers, this is thanks to their emotional expressiveness that is always accompanied by a characteristic lively and energetic gestural communication, it is through this characteristic and warm way of communicating that great efforts are made to make the newcomer feel part of the tradition and culture (be it gastronomic, customs or historical of the country, and in my case of the region). Within the Italian society we also find a strong feeling of family unity, this may be due to the fact that religion plays a very important role in the society, which ends up conditioning most of its values; a very remarkable thing is the involvement of young people in the ecclesiastical and spiritual part of themselves through the catholic church, most young people ar
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THE LÄND

I had to smile when I was sitting thoughtlessly at the bus station to the Frasassi Caves, waiting for the bus, and my gaze happened to fall on this sticker. "Nett hier. Aber waren Sie schon mal in Baden-Württemberg?" In English: "Nice here. But have you ever been to Baden-Württemberg?" These stickers are part of a promotional campaign by the state of Baden-Württemberg in Germany and by now they can be found all over the world (supposedly also on Mont Everest, in Chernobyl and in the Jordanian desert). They are placed by tourists who love their home state of Baden-Württemberg and are proud to be from THE LÄND.  I also have a deep affection for this state, more precisely for the Ortenau region. It was my home for the last five years during my studies. Here I have met valuable people, I have made experiences, I have grown. Here I put down roots and here I was able to leave this nest.  Embedded between the Black Forest and Alsace in France, it is characterized by rolli
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On Vacation

A group of young women (aged 15-38) from Caritas Ukraine visited us for a week. In addition to various employees and Ukrainian volunteers from Caritas Jesi, we ESC volunteers also had the opportunity to accompany the group.     The week was funny, very interesting and enrichting. Together we marveled at the indescribable fairytale world of the Frasassi Caves. In the beautiful Palazzo Pianetti we contemplated the ornate stuccoes and paintings. We visited the museums of Jesi. At the beach of Senigallia we bathed in the sea and sun. We took beautiful photos and watched people dancing rock'n'roll at the Summer Jamboree Festival. At delicious dinner at the parishes in Jesi we chatted about family and plans for the future and sang songs.  Seen from the outside, it was like any other organized trip with a group of young women . But a closer look reveals differences. When the young women regularly checked the news and alarm groups of their home regions. When there was joy as well as
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The subway in Jesi

It´s really a great fortune. Since I arrived in Jesi almost four months ago I ´ve had the privilege of meeting so many, interessting people. Friends, collegues, acquaintances of friends, collegues and acquaintances. If I would try to draw all these connection that link all these people, it would probably look like a subway map. Another wonderful opportunity to expand this map I got the other day. The station is called subwaylab and there I sat at lunch with two people who turned their passion into a business.   Subwaylab is a small film studio in Jesi and seems itself like a caricature out of a movie. Do you know "Dawson's Creek"? This place reminds me of Dawson's room. Movie posters hang on the walls, props, movie figures, scripts, ... it´s everywhere. There's even an arcade machine in one corner. And the two (of four) founders of subwaylab , with whom I had lunch, also fit the bill: friendly, enthuastic and nerdy in a good way. One discovered his passion as a
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